Delhi slips 6 places in world’s most liveable cities’ ranking

The study was conducted in 140 cities around the world, in which Vienna remained the most liveable city for the second year in a row.

The national Capital has slipped six places to rank 118th on a list of world’s most liveable cities, a report released by the Economist Intelligence Unit stated Wednesday. The decline in ranking for New Delhi was attributed primarily to an increase in petty crime cases and witnessing “some of the world’s worst air quality levels”, the annual Global Liveability Index stated.

New Delhi got an overall score of 56.3 out of 100. It was followed by Mumbai which got a score of 56.2 and was ranked 119. (HT File Photo)

The study was conducted in 140 cities around the world, in which Vienna remained the most liveable city for the second year in a row.

“The Indian capital has seen an increase in petty crime cases over the past year, as well as recording some of the world’s worst air quality levels. The 2018 update to the World Health Organisation (WHO) Global Ambient Air Quality Database shows that New Delhi currently boasts the sixth highest annual mean concentration of fine particulate matter among cities around the world,” the report stated.

New Delhi got an overall score of 56.3 out of 100. It was followed by Mumbai which got a score of 56.2 and was ranked 119.

Out of the five parameters on which the cities were ranked, New Delhi got the lowest rating for its ‘stability’. The city secured a score of 50 in terms of stability. The other four parameters included healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure. For education, New Delhi was given a score of 75 that was more than what some other cities got despite being ranked way above Indian capital.

For infrastructure, Delhi got 58.9 which is more than that of Hanoi (55.4) and Mexico City (46.4). Both Hanoi and Mexico City had their overall rankings higher than Delhi. In the category of culture and environment, almost all cities ranked above Delhi excluding Jeddah, Ho Chi Minh and Bander Sari Bagawan.

Owing to the problem of poor air quality which worsens in the national Capital during the winter months, New Delhi received a low score of 51.4 in the culture and environment category.

According to experts, Delhi needs sector-based solutions for its holistic development. “Blanket solutions won’t work actually as the connotation of, say, safety and security, is different in residential areas than what it is in a commercial area. Augmenting public transport and last mile connectivity is one aspect that actually addresses both the issues — safety and pollution. This should be looked at immediately,” Sanjukta Bhaduri, professor of urban planning at School of Planning and Architecture, said.